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45 kWe high-flux solar simulator

A new high-flux solar simulator for high-temperature solar thermal and thermochemical research has been designed at the Australian National University. The simulator consists of 18 radiation modules, arranged in two concentric rows. Each module consists of a 2.5 kWe short-arc xenon lamp, close-coupled to a truncated ellipsoidal mirror of high-surface quality. The predicted radiative output in the focal plane is up to 15.4 kW, with a transfer efficiency of 81%. The predicted peak radiative flux at the focal plane is 9.5 MW m-2. The radiative flux, radiative power and radiation transfer efficiency for a 30-mm diameter circular flat target at the focal plane are 6.7 MW m-2, 4.7 kW, and 25%, respectively. For a 60-mm diameter circular flat target, the radiative flux, radiative power and radiation transfer efficiency are 3.8 MW m2, 10.6 kW, and 56%, respectively.